Killer Ian Stewart will die in jail after murdering first wife 6 years before strangling kids’ author fiancee for £4m
A BLACK widower will die in jail after he murdered his first wife six years before strangling his fiancee to get his hands on her fortune.
Ian Stewart, 61, killed Diane Stewart, 47, on the back patio of the home she shared with him and their two sons in Bassingbourn, Cambs, in 2010.
The deceitful monster was able to “fool” medics into believing his wife had suffered a sudden unexplained death through epilepsy.
But in a “stroke of fortune”, Diane had donated her brain for research – with experts finding she had been either suffocated or strangled.
Stewart has now been convicted of murder following a trial at Huntingdon Crown Court.
The “master manipulator”, who was already serving a life sentence, has been handed a whole life tariff – meaning he will never be released.
Sentencing, Mr Justice Simon Bryan slammed Stewart for a “concerted and callous charade” and pointed out the “striking similarities” in both gruesome murders.
He added: “You murdered Helen Bailey a lady with whom witnesses in that trial, and in this trial, said you were very much in love with and indeed about to marry just as you murdered Diane whom you also said were you very much in love, as again attested by many witnesses.”
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Diane and Stewart’s sons Jamie and Oliver paid tribute to their mother after the verdict.
They sad: “Our Mum was amazing. All the people we have spoken to and things we have heard since her death have only enhanced this feeling.
“We were privileged to have a wonderful caring upbringing and we were supported through all the activities and hobbies that we undertook. It’s been really upsetting the last six years to have to recall the events of the toughest time of our life.
“We now look forward to recalling the many happy moments we had growing up as a family.”
CRUCIAL EVIDENCE
Stewart murdered Diane six years before he set his sights on vulnerable children’s author Helen Bailey.
He portrayed himself as a grieving widower still struggling with his wife’s death to sign up for an online bereavement group.
Helen, who had lost her husband in a tragic accident in Barbados, moved Stewart into her lavish £1.4million home.
But he started to drug her with sleeping pills after hatching a murderous plot to get his hands on the successful children’s author’s £4million fortune.
On April 11, 2016, he smothered Helen to death then dumped her and beloved pooch Boris into a cesspit full of excrement fearing she had caught on.
After Stewart was jailed over that “particularly callous crime”, police began re-examining Diane’s death.
Diane’s remains had been cremated but her brain was donated to medical research and brain tissue was also kept.
From this, scientists were able to determine her chances of dying from epilepsy were more than one in 100,000, it was said.
Diane had not suffered a seizure for 18 years and it was an “extremely low” chance her “mild” epilepsy killed her.
Her brain also showed evidence of ischemia – when the brain is starved of oxygen for up to an hour.
DOUBLE KILLER
Stewart had been alone with Diane when he claimed he returned from Tesco to find her “twisted” on the back patio of their home.
He claimed he had driven to the supermarket to get French bread and pate to “celebrate” after their son’s driving test.
Stewart called 999, telling them: “My wife has had a fit. I think she has died”.
When paramedics arrived at the home, they discovered Diane without a heartbeat.
While being quizzed by police, Stewart shrugged as he was asked about his wife’s death.
An officer asks: “Right – what was her cause of death?”
Stewart, who sits with his back against the wall, quickly moves his shoulders up as he replies: “Epilepsy. Well, that’s what the doctors told me.”
A second clip shows Stewart being asked what he did when Diane fell unconscious.
He ignores a series of questions on if he did anything to bring her around, or whether he checked if she was breathing or not, simply rubbing his ear and looking away.
The detective then asks: “How did you check if she was breathing – if you did?”
Stewart shrugs again and plays with his beard.
He continues to ignore all the officer’s questions.
In a final clip, he is asked ten questions in a row before replying: “No comment.”
The monster could also be seen gasping “you’re joking” as police arrested him on suspicion of murdering Diane.
How you can get help
Women's Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – messageinfo@supportline.org.uk.
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
Despite his efforts to cover up the crime, suspicions were aroused by Stewart’s behaviour after his wife’s death.
The monster received a total of £96,607.37 following the death of his wife from her bank accounts and £28,500.21 from a life insurance policy.
He treated himself to a sports car and began embarking on new relationships in behaviour “hard to square with the conduct of a grieving husband”.
But one of his new relationships led to his downfall when he brutally murdered Helen in April 2016.
Both killings bore chilling similarities – with both unwitting victims murdered at a home they shared with Stewart.
He also showed a “willingness” to cover up the killings both times.
While he was serving a minimum prison sentence of 34 years for Helen’s murder, Stewart was charged with killing Diane.
‘MASTER MANIPULATOR’
Detective Superintendent Jerome Kent led the investigations into both Helen and Diane’s deaths. He said: “My thoughts and those of the investigating team are with Diane’s family at this extremely difficult time.
“Both Helen and Diane were extremely talented women who had their lives taken by a man who skilfully controlled them both in the same way by playing on his own frailties and needs. He is a calculated killer who planned his attacks to coincide to times when others were away from the house, and he was alone with his victim.
“He is so much a master manipulator, he had the ability to convince agencies of his innocence and kept the truth of what happened from family and friends, keeping those lies going over months and years as well as through the court process.
“In each case, no reports of domestic abuse or concerns about coercive behaviour were reported to any agency. It is often the case that perpetrators are powerful and subtle in their ability to control.
“There is no typical victim of domestic abuse. The fact is it can happen to anyone. We investigate reports of domestic abuse or homicide equally, regardless of age, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, class or gender. Where cases are identified, those who are suffering domestic violence or coercive control should be reassured we are determined and relentless in our pursuit to bring offenders to justice, even years down the line.”